Comedian Jim Gaffigan has learned just how “scary” “bots & trolls” can be, but, nevertheless, he has no regrets for his tweetstorm Thursday in which he railed against Donald Trump, Fox News and the Republican National Convention on the whole.
“I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has expressed support about my tweets,” he wrote in an Instagram caption Saturday. “I know the bots & trolls can be scary but the truth requires direct sunlight. I regret nothing. (Well, maybe I was a little harsh to Karen.)”
He went on, “We need to wake up. Decency is on the ballot. It can and will get worse if Trump is re-elected. The bullying happening on both sides is wrong but Trump won’t even try to fix it. Makes sure you make a plan for how you are going to safely vote.”
His caption was to a screengrab of a follower of his who wrote, “I’m just a midwestern grandma who expressed love for your bravery, and I was the recipient of such hate. I’m so sad our kids have to grow up in this and I truly fear it’s going to get worse. Stay safe. Being truthful is dangerous in this climate.”
Gaffigan, who is regarded as a “clean” comic that typically sticks to observations about fatherhood and food, took on politics Thursday night after night four of the convention, tweeting repeatedly about the GOP’s messaging and Fox News’ part in it. Let’s just as, none of his assessments were particularly flattering.
“RIP Truth,” he wrote to kick things off before repeatedly asking followers to “wake up.”
From there, he compared Republicans to fans of a losing sports franchise who still want to support their team and scoffed at the idea Trump and his administration really represent anti-elitism when Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump are involved.
In many tweets, whether they focused on Kushner or his own career — which he assured followers he was not jeopardizing by speaking out — he urged people to “wake up.”
“Please don’t buy that socialist crap either,” Gaffigan wrote, referencing Republican efforts through the RNC to make the case that Democratic nominee Joe Biden is somehow “radical” or a leftist. “Obviously Obama wasn’t a socialist. This is all lies to scare you and you know it. Biden is not radical. Are you serious?”